Gohan's Chronicles
by Wilmi
Summary: Planet Vegeta was never destroyed, and Goku works for Frieza, as a purger, while his father, Bardock, plans a resistance against Frieza. Goku's son, Gohan, shows promise for being a great warrior, and is sent to a secret Saiyan Combat school to develop his potential. Will the Saiyans succeed in their mission to overthrow Lord Frieza?
1. Chapter 1: Growing pains

**CHAPTER ONE: GROWING PAINS**

The first time my father hit me I saw stars in front of my eyes just like they do in those cartoons in the newspaper. It was just a backhand across my face though – not like when I saw uncle Radditz, my father's brother, wallop a boy so hard that when he hit the pavement, his head actually bounced. He did not bleed, but he screamed really loud. I didn't like him very much, but I also didn't think he deserved to get hurt like that, especially not by the hands of my uncle… It was just cruel.

Anyway, I learned then and there that I should stay clear from my father after the fifth bottle cap hit the floor. Being angry a lot ran in the family after all, Auntie Tora also took a whack at her children sometimes, and they were still in diapers! So I tried to stay away from home as much as I possibly could, away from my father, but stayed most of the time because of my mom. I could never get her to leave with me.

It was impossible to get lost in Darkhaven. That was where I lived; Darkhaven, in the province of Dysmere, part of Planet Vegeta. I never quite understood why there had to be so many D's in the beginning of each word that described my home, but Mommy told me that it was just one of those things. We lived in Darwin Street, another D; just a few blocks away from the main street, New Church Road, even though the church that sits at the end of it wasn't new anymore.

I didn't really understand why a place like Darkhaven would even have a church to begin with, but Mommy went there a lot, and she took me with her once a week, every time on a Sunday. I could count all the people usually there on one hand. And even though few people went there, I liked it. I was excited to go every week, especially since my dad didn't ever go with us.

Our house was very big; it was three stories high and Dad made sure that we had a lot of servants who had to do everything we asked them to. Mom forbade me to ask them to do anything for me though; she didn't want me to get lazy, and she actually instructed me to help them around the house sometimes. She called it 'chores.' I didn't like it very much, but it seemed to make her happy, so I tried to do each 'chore' with a smile.

I lived here with my father, Goku, my mother, Chi-Chi, and Icarus, my dear friend that lived with us. Mommy tried to explain to me once that Icarus wasn't really real, but that didn't make any sense. I could see him and hear him speak. He was real.

Icarus and I were like the three Musketeers, only without a third member in our group. We did everything together. That was probably our favourite bedtime story.

Icarus had really white skin and yellow hair. My skin was a little darker and my hair was the colour of tar, neither as light as my mother's nor as dark as my father's. My hair changed colour depending on where I was standing and when. In daytime it almost looked brown, but at night it was as dark as the sky without the sun.

When it was clean, Icarus' hair was the colour of a cotton ball, white, white, white. But it was usually dirty, looking like the dusty old letters Mommy kept in a shoe box under her bed.

But I wished that I could be more like Icarus. I screamed when I saw a spider, but he didn't mind them. He even scoops them up in his hands and put them outside! I tell him just to step on them, but he doesn't listen to me. Icarus isn't scared of anything. Except when my dad turns on Mommy. We both are scared then.

When that happens we go to behind-the-couch in the living room. It was like another room for me and Icarus.

It was our fort.

We usually head there when we have counted ten bottle caps falling to the kitchen floor. My father usually started to bother Mommy after the tenth clank. I didn't know why she didn't just stay out of his way after the eight clank, but she never did. The bottles clank so hard sometimes that I think my head is going to explode.

I used to think that it was smelly behind the couch, but I didn't notice it anymore. I brought some of my mother's perfume behind here once, and sprayed it on the fabric, so now it smells like her on a Sunday morning.

It was Monday today, and Dad just got home from one of his hunting trips. He barely was home, and I could already hear the fifth clank of a bottle cap against the floor. Luckily I was already behind-the-couch with Icarus.

"Do you think he is going to get angry at Mommy again?" I asked Icarus in a soft voice.

"Probably." He said equally as soft. "He is angrier than usual when he gets home from one of those trips."

I nodded, that was true. "But as long as we stay here, we will be safe." I rubbed the sore spot on my arm without thinking. It has been almost two weeks since he last hit me, but the blue bruise was still there, and it hurt just as much as it did in the beginning.

I looked down at my blue and green striped notebook-cover. I picked it up gently and held it close to my mouth, my lips almost touched the crinkly cover of the book. "Agent Gohan Son reporting for duty." I whispered my notebook's password before I flipped through the pages. I knew there wasn't _really_ a voice control lock on my book, but it was fun to pretend. I paged quickly through the book, until I found an open page. There wasn't many more left, and I had to remember to remind Mom to buy me a new one.

I stared down at my handwriting; compared to Mommy's, my letters were very big and hers were much neater too. Maybe someday my words will look exactly like hers.

Right after I clasped my pencil between my fingers, my notebook went flying out of my hands and onto the floor. My eyes went big. "Whoa!"

Something sharp grabbed at my wrist and pulled me up, only to throw me down on the floor again. I landed hard on my bum and cried out.

"Betcha didn't see _that_ coming!" My father's mouth smelled like beer. He laughed at me as I scrambled to pick my notebook up before he could get ahold of it. "Must be something important, you grabbing at it like that." He went on. "Let me see it." He said loudly and pulled it out of my hands before I could make a squeak about it. He walked out of the room and out of the front door. I followed him to the porch.

"Give it back!" I yelled powerfully, not afraid of him.

"Petrova McGrath isn't talking to me anymore because of the frog incident, maybe I should use grasshoppers next time…" He read out loud and I felt how my cheeks started to get warm. He wasn't supposed to know that; it was _my_ secret. He looked up from my notebook over to me. "What's the frog incident?" He laughed. "You misspelt every word but frog you idiot."

"Give it _back!"_ I said again strongly, but when I went to try to get it back, he shoved me away. He kept flipping through the pages, scanning each one with his dirty finger.

"Where am I?" He smiled. "I can't wait to see what all you wrote about me. Hmm." More flipping. His face started to get red and his teeth were showing. "Mommy this, mommy that." His voice was very loud now. "But yet nothing about your dear old _dad_?!" He threw the book back down to the ground and I was so mad that I didn't listen to the voice in my head that said that I shouldn't reach down to pick it up until he left.

Just as I bent down again, he shoved me into the dirt with his smelly boot. "There!" He yelled. "That will give you something to write about." He spun around and walked away, and I heard him throw the front door shut with a loud bang. I lay there for another few minutes, staring at the dust settling around my body to pass the time. I wanted to make really sure that he was gone before I stood up again.

I ran up the porch steps, clutching my notebook close to my chest. I marched over to my mother; she was sitting alone in the sitting room, a book in her grasp and her reading glasses over her eyes. Dad must be upstairs by now.

"Mom!" I called with determination in my voice and stopped right in front of her.

She placed her finger as a bookmark between some pages and took her glasses off. Her bright green eyes looked sad. "Yes darling?" She asked, smiling at me. She was really the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. No one in town was as pretty as my mother.

"I don't like Dad." I stated. "He is just so… hateable!"

She frowned at me. "How can you say that?!" She sounded very upset, she even threw her book on the floor. I blinked quickly as I felt my eyes getting watery. I didn't like getting yelled at. I didn't like it at all. She didn't think I was funny, and sent me to my room.

Later that night when my dad was back picking on my mom, she yelled that no one liked him and that his own son called him hateable. When she said it, I just stood in my room with my ear pressed against my door. I just stood there, listening to the tick-tick-tick of the plastic robot clock that hung against my wall. It was very quiet now.

I peeked out of my room, staring into the empty hallway. Icarus was gone now, I didn't know where he was. I guess I'll have to be brave alone. My blue doggie slippers was first out of the door and I balled my hands into fists as I dared to go out into the hall after my bedtime.

"Mommy?" I called unsurely, but my voice was very soft, I doubt if she heard me.

"Mother." I tried again; my voice was louder, stronger.

"In here sweetie."

I followed her voice and it led me to her bedroom. The door wasn't open, but it wasn't closed exactly either. I placed my hand on the wood of the door, I couldn't reach the handle just yet, and pushed on it.

The room was a mess. The bedside lamp lay on the floor now with all the broken pieces of bulb scattered around it. Clothes were also strewn everywhere and their closet doors hung wide open. In the middle of it all was my mom, sitting on her peach-coloured bed sheets. She was crying and she wiped her cheeks with her hands as I walked into the room.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, playing with my thumbs as I looked down at the floor. She always said she didn't want me to see her like this.

She sniffed really loudly, and all I could think about was how much litres of snot she just swallowed. "Everything is fine sweetheart." She said surely. "Come here."

I looked up again and saw her hold her hands out towards me, waving me forward. I smiled and eagerly ran up to her and sprang into her arms. She let out a happy breath and pressed me tightly against her chest as she rocked me backwards and forward.

My eyes widened when I saw a red splotch of goo on her wrist. "Mom, you are bleeding." I yelled in a squeaky voice.

"Oh this?" She asked and pulled the sleeve of her purple sweater down to cover it. "This is just a scratch; it's nothing really."

I pulled my head from under her warm arms and climbed off her lap. I was sitting in front of her on the bed now, my feet dangling off the matrass. "It isn't!" I said angrily and hit my fist against the bed, making the whole bed wobble a bit. "He has to stop hurting you; it is not fair!"

She smiled and that made my heart hurt, she was hurt but she still managed to look happy. She touched my face with the back of her hand and wiped some strands of hair away from my eyes. "He will never truly hurt me." She said with a softer smile, looking straight at me with her eyes that looked so much like the leaves on a tree we had in our front yard. It was my favourite tree. "Not with you here with me."

I sighed and looked down, jealous that she had my favourite colour for eyes. My eyes were just a plain grey, like Dad's, they looked like ugly rocks, not beautiful trees. "But you are bleeding." I said again; she _was_ hurt.

She chuckled. "It will heal darling, don't you spend a single second worrying about me." She touched the tip of my nose with her finger and I couldn't help but giggle; it was a bit ticklish.

"Where is Dad now?"

Her face fell. "He went out; he will be back soon."

"Can't we lock the doors?" I asked. "He doesn't have to live here anymore. He isn't here half the time anyway."

She smiled again. "We can't do that to your father honey; this is his home too."

I wished he weren't my father. "He scares me Mommy."

She pressed me against her warm chest again. I hugged her back. "He scares me sometimes too, but we are strong." She held her hands on my shoulder and pulled me back. I looked into her kind green eyes. "You hear me, Gohan? You are strong."

I nodded, even though I didn't feel very strong.

She wiped some more tears off her face. "Good." She smiled a toothy smile. "That's what I want to hear." She got up and walked over to her already open closet. She disappeared through the doors and came out with something in her hands. She laid it on the bed and I saw it was a black suit. My size.

She held it out in front of my body and tilted her head to the left as she looked at me. "Yeah, it looks like a proper fit." She replied happily and folded the suit up on the bed.

"Are we going to church?" I asked; it was the only place where I ever wore a suit.

She turned to me again. "No. You have to wear it when you are meeting your grandfather tomorrow." She said and bit her lip. "He is very… peculiar."

I frowned, feeling my forehead making wrinkles. "I have a grandfather?"

"You do." She smiled at me again. "You have two actually."

"I haven't seen him before."

"You have, when you were still a baby." She said with a frown. "But you would not remember that."

"I don't."

She looked at me strictly. "He isn't a very pleasant man sweetheart, you need to know that." She didn't smile anymore. "If I had a say in any of this, I would let you live a full life without ever seeing him." She looked at the blood on her hand. "But your father insisted; that's what we fought about now."

"Can't you go with me?"

"No way in hell." Just then my father waltzed into the room. He walked directly towards me and grabbed me by my pyjama shirt. He pulled me up to his height and I felt very scared again. My mother was screaming at him to let me go, but he ignored her, even pushed her to the floor when she tried to take me away from him herself.

"You have to learn what it means to be in this family." He said in a low voice. "You are already six; it has been long overdue." He shook me and the fabric of my shirt started to burn my skin. "You understand?"

I nodded and he let me go. I fell hard on the floor and my back really hurt. Tears flowed down my face and my father turned around to me again. He looked at me with an expression of disgust on his face, and then he kicked me. So hard that I thought I was going to die.

"Goku!" My mother screamed and rushed over to my side. I was aware of her cool hands on my forehead, but everything else was blurry. "Was that really necessary?!" She sounded very angry and was standing in front of me now, her hands wide from her sides, as if she were shielding me.

"Of course it was!" He yelled at my mother. "He has to stop being so weak Chi-Chi, or else he will never survive in the industry." My father sneered and pointed at me. "If I see you crying again, I will give you something to cry about."

"How can you say that?!" My mother's voice was low but very dangerous. I wanted to get up, but she pushed me back down discreetly. "He is a child Goku, a _young_ being, not even old enough for school yet, and you want him to be part of your "hunting business" already?" She made some weird gestures with her fingers that I didn't understand.

"I was two years younger than he is now when my father sent me away."

Her eyes rounded, looking like two perfect eggs on her face. "You said nothing about taking him away!" Her voice was very loud now and I covered my ears with my hands to make her sound softer.

"It was implied." He said angrily. "All will be determined when Father arrives tomorrow."

"I will not allow _that man_ to take our boy away!" She screeched. "Don't you care for him at all, he is your son!"

Dad rolled his eyes. "There's no need to tell me the biology of it Chi, I know." He looked down at me again, instead of pressing my face in the rug like always, I looked directly up at him. "I do care for the boy, but his fate is sealed, I cannot do anything about it." With that said he stormed out of the room.

Mommy sank down next to me and placed her hand on my shoulder, it was shaking a little. "Honey, don't ever believe a word that comes out of that man's mouth."

"But it is true." I said quietly, not wanting to look into her eyes. "They want to take me away." I finally looked up at her again and her eyes were more clear than ever, sparkling with tears. "I don't even know why."

"Gohan, look at me." She grabbed me by my chin roughly. "You are special, more than you might think, but know that I will never allow them to harm a hair on your head, never mind taking you away from me." She kissed me on my forehead. "You know that right?"

I nodded and she picked me up, carrying me back to my room. She tucked me in and kissed me on my cheek goodnight before she walked over to the door to switch the light off.

"Sleep tight sweetheart." She smiled at me warmly.

"Mommy?" I called.

She switched the light on again. "Yes sweetheart?"

"Can you read me a story please?"

She smiled and walked back to my race-car bed, sitting tightly next to me with her arm around my shoulder. "Three musketeers?" She guessed and I nodded. She smiled and ruffled my hair as she leaned over to reach for my favourite book, where I hid it under my bed.

She cleared her throat before she started reading. _"Porthos and his friends walked into the King's Musketeers' building. He grinned at a couple of ladies in waiting that they went past. "So the King didn't say why we've been summoned?" He asked."_ Mom made her voice deep. She always had other voices for each Musketeer.  
 _  
_ _""No, he didn't." Athos answered shortly. "His note just said it was urgent." Aramis sighed, nervously pawing his golden cross around his neck. "That's what he always says", His friends stared at him, surprised by his tone. "Are you all right?" Porthos asked. "Yes," the younger Musketeer merely answered. "I am just tired.""_

I yawned.

 _"Athos and Porthos looked at each other. Indeed, they didn't even had time to rest properly between missions, and as themselves were always ready, they knew that the former priest could not sustain a cadence as dense as they did, and due to his frail body compared to theirs, he needed more time to rest."_ My mother took a breath and turned the page. _"Only a few months had passed since their triumph over the Duke of Buckingham. D'Artagnan had been admitted into one of the junior guards on a two year probation. Meanwhile the three inseparables went on some missions for the King together, all successful…"_ Her voice faded away until it was gone completely as I fell asleep.

The next morning my father woke me up, yelling and screaming at me until I dressed correctly in that suit Mom laid out for me. I wanted to wear my pyjamas instead, but Dad refused, and kept saying that I had to make a very good impression, whatever that meant.

"Gohan, get down here!"

Even though I didn't want to, I walked down the stairs when the doorbell rang its familiar tone. I tugged on the collar of my black buttoned-up shirt, and pulled at the blue tie. I have never felt so uncomfortable in my life. Was a suit and jacket really necessary in the middle of the summer?

My mother smiled at me as she met up with me at the bottom of the staircase.

"You are a very handsome boy, Gohan." She complimented and ruffled my hair. "You will steal a lot of girls' hearts when you grow up."

I made a face. "Girls are gross Mom."

She laughed. "Except me right?" She winked.

I smiled. "Of course."

"Good, now get out there, your grandfather is waiting for you." She didn't sound very happy about it, but she smiled anyway. She placed her hands on my shoulders and led me to our foyer at the front door. A man I have never seen before sat on one of the single chairs. He was talking to Dad before he looked at me after Mommy cleared her throat loudly.

"Hello Gohan." He greeted friendly and stood up. He looked a lot like Father, except he had a big scar on his face. His eyes looked like mine, grey, but his set had a black glow about them. He also wore a suit like me, so I figured that we must be going to some place fancy. "I am glad to see that you have grown out of your diaper."

"Aren't you going to say hello to your grandfather, Gohan?" Dad asked, sounding a little angry at me.

I looked up at my mother and she smiled at me, pushing me forward as to urge me toward the stranger who they said was family.

"Hey." I made my arm leap forward towards his, and hungrily grabbed on to it as I shook it roughly, just as my father had taught me. "It is really nice to meet you sir."

He chuckled and returned the shake. "The pleasure is all mine." He said pleased. "But please call me Grandfather, boy, after all, that is what I am to you."

I nodded. "Sure gramps."

He laughed again.

Dad shot me an angry look and I felt how freight spilled through my entire body.

"Excuse him Father, he has always been ill-mannered."

"He is nothing like what you always say him to be." My mother shouted, defending me. "He may look a lot like you, but he will _never_ be anything like you!"

Dad frowned and grabbed on to her arm very tightly. He said something very softly in her ear, and I could see her face go white. I couldn't hear what he had said, but that didn't stop the goose bumps from popping up on my skin.

"No need to bicker in front of your child." Dad's dad broke in. "I find him quite charming, Goku. Our forces could use someone as charismatic as him."

Mommy gasped. "You are not suggesting that he becomes one of you, Bardock."

"Chi-Chi!" Dad scolded.

"We will see about that." Grandfather played with the hairs on his chin as he spoke. "Everything depends on his display of strength."

Mom fell to the floor on her knees and stared at her hands. "You will take him if he is powerful enough."

"It is in his blood dear, a legacy, you cannot deny him that."

She looked up into his eyes. "I am his mother and I can deny everything I damn please from him. He will not be taken away from me while he is still so young!"

His lip twitched up into a smile. "Even if so, it is not your choice to make." He moved to me again and smiled. "But let's not jump the gun, shall we?" He extended his hand towards me but I just stared at it, mesmerized by all the shiny jewels he had on at least every second one of his fingers.

"What?" I asked as I noticed everyone in the room staring at me.

"Have you ever heard of instantaneous movements, son?"

I shook my head. "What's that?" I asked curiously.

Grandfather shot an angry look at my father before he looked down at me again. "Let me show it to you then. Grab on."

I placed my hand in his and he clamped his palm shut over mine. He had a strong hold and actually made my fingers sting.

I had always hated roller coasters, hated that feeling of my stomach dropping out through my feet when the coaster hurtled downward. The city swung around me, blurred walls of glittering light. It might have been beautiful if I weren't so terrified. We banked and dived, Grandfather's hand was still firmly planted over my hand, and suddenly instead of rising I was falling.

I thought of the thing dropping me hundreds of feet through the air until I crashed into the icy black water. I shut my eyes—but falling through blind darkness was worse. I opened them again and saw the black deck of the ship rising up from below me like a hand about to swat me out of the sky. I screamed a second time as we dropped toward the deck—and through a dark square cut into its surface. Now we were inside the ship.

Instantaneous movement was like nothing I have ever felt before.

"Can you teach it to me too sometime mister?" I asked cheerily, exposing my front toothless smile.

"Grandfather." He corrected.

"Sorry."

He looked down at me, his grey eyes scowling. Gosh he was tall. "I'm disappointed that your father hasn't taught it to you yet. You are already five for goodness sake." He took me by my arm and yanked me up on the deck before he floated up himself. I absentmindedly rubbed the spot his bony fingers grabbed. I was going to be surprised with a giant blue bruise in the morning; I was sure of it.

"Mommy says I am six." I informed proudly, displaying the number of years out on my fingers. I could already count to fifty and write most of the alphabet and I wasn't even in school yet. That must be some kind of record for a kid.

He frowned as he looked down at me. "You had another birthday?" He asked surprised.

I nodded, making my full head of hair fall across my face. Sometimes I had to remind myself that my hair couldn't be eaten, even if they looked like toffee. Most times my hair was already in my mouth when I realised that though, but what does Mommy always say? _Better late than never._ I remembered. "I have one every year."

He scoffed. "Then it is even worse than I thought." He threw his hands up in the air; it seemed like a happy gesture, but the expression on his face made me think otherwise. "You are already six and you don't know a thing about Ki yet." He shook his head slowly, making a weird clicking sound with his tongue as he did so. "A disgrace really."

"I know plenty about keys." I smiled. "We have one for every door in the house."

He shook his head. "I am talking about energy, boy. Look." We stopped walking and I stared up at him. A black ball appeared in his hand out of nowhere and he threw it on the ground. I thought it was going to bounce, but it didn't. Instead it exploded like a bomb. It was not like any ball I have ever seen.

"Did he show _that_ to you maybe?"

I shook my head slowly as I looked at the big hole in the floor of the boat. "He must have been busy." I said in a soft voice, mindlessly following my grandfather as he walked deeper into the deck of the ship. It looked like he knew exactly where he was going. "I haven't seen Dad in a while. He came back last night for the first time in a lot of days. He must be out hunting again."

Grandpa chuckled. "Is _that_ what he tells you he's doing?" He asked but it didn't really sound like a question. "It is an interesting way to phrase it."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

He smiled down at me and I suddenly felt scared. "Your dad hunts a lot, doesn't he?"

I pulled my shoulders up. "I guess."

He nodded. "And by the looks of it, he takes his after-hunting frustrations out on you."

"He gets angry when I don't do what he says."

"He always had a bit of a temper."

"What does that mean?"

He stopped walking and we stood still on the big boat. "It means he gets angry really easily."

I nodded. "Yeah…"

"But you don't have to put up with his shit for much longer, kid. I feel a strong energy inside of you; we just need to bring it out to see how much it is."

I folded my hands over my chest. "You said a bad word." I declared. "That is not a very good example you are giving to a child."

He tilted his head to the side and laughed. "You never stop talking, do you?"

I frowned. "Of course I do; Dad says my tongue will fall off if I don't stop once in a while."

He chuckled again. "Indeed; your father is a very wise man." He pulled me with him and placed me in the middle of the deck while he stepped away a few paces to a door in the corner. "I want you to release all the energy you have inside you."

I squinted my eyes. "How do I do that?"

He laughed and knocked on the door. "He will show you."

A tall man who was not wearing a shirt opened the door and smiled as he saw me. When I stared at his face for a while, I recognised him instantly.

"Uncle Radditz!" I squealed happily. Even though I didn't like him that much, it was nice to see a familiar face around here.

He frowned as he heard my voice. "I didn't realise we were testing little Gohan today."

"Yes." He let go of my hand and pushed me towards the tall boy. "But don't go too hard on him, he is only a young child after all." He looked at me again. "Just determine if he has a higher than average inner energy; don't push him."

My uncle nodded. "Sure thing Father." Grandfather smiled down at me, but it didn't feel like a happy gesture.

"Good luck." He said before he disappeared completely. My mouth fell open. How did he just do that?!

"Hey kid, listen up." Radditz said loudly, trying to get my attention. I turned my head to him. "I want you to look at what I am doing very carefully, and try to do it yourself after I am done." He placed his hands on his hips. "Okay?"

"Sure, but I won't do it if I don't feel comfortable with it." I said quickly, proud of myself for using such a big word, and knowing what it means too!

"Okay then." He closed his eyes and clasped his hands shut. He made the sound that lions usually made then. A warm feeling shot out of his body and it felt as if I were standing next to an open fire.

"This is what energy is all about, kid." He breathed quickly now. "I want you to try it out."

"So I just keep screaming and you will know?"

He laughed. "Not quite." He kneeled down next to me, looking me in the eyes. "I want you to think about everything that makes you feel mad, scared, helpless and sad and then scream your lungs out." He poked my arm softly. "You think you can do that, buddy?"

"I don't know what makes me feel that way." I said softly, secretly wishing Icarus was here; he would have known what to do!

He sighed loudly and sat on his knees in front of me, looking me in my eyes. His eye-colour was also grey, like mine. "Why don't you think about your father, I know he isn't a very nice man to you?" He suggested.

I looked to the ground, balling my hands into fists. "Do I really have to?"

His soft expression was gone and he stood up, towering over me again. "In this case, yes."

"Okay."

I thought about dad, but none of the emotions he listed came to mind. Another one, I had no words for, flashed over my body and I felt myself getting warmer the louder I screamed. I didn't know what I was doing, I felt rather silly while screaming like this for no reason, and Uncle Radditz made no move to show me that I was doing it right.

"You can stop now." He yelled louder than my cries and I stopped immediately, feeling grateful, and happy to sooth my sore throat.

"Did I do it?"

He chuckled. "Not even close." He said and folded his arms over his chest. "You are going to need a lot of practice, but I did manage to detect your energy level." He paused and pouted. He got a weird look in his face and his eye twitched. Just when I was about to ask him what was wrong, he shushed me with his finger. "We have some visitors." He whispered. "Just be quiet and don't say anything." His face was very close to mine now. "You got it, small-fry?"

I nodded.

He smiled. "Good." He pulled on his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair which was almost the same colour as mine, only a little lighter.

His lips twitched up into a smile and he gave a little bow. "Good day to you too, Zarbon…"


	2. Chapter 2: The Cavalry

_Heeeey everyone! It's nice being back to the writing scene! I quite enjoy writing again (I missed it!)_

 _Yes, and for those of you who were so sharp to notice, this is based on "Reynard's Chronicles" a story of mine that focused on the life of an OC I created in the Untold Series. But I changed it so it could be told out of Gohan's perspective! I hope you like it, and bear with me until the ending!_

 _Thank you for all the reviews so far! I really appreciate your input, and I hope you guys will make a routine out of reviewing! :D_

 _*Happy reading!_

 **CHAPTER 2: THE CAVALRY**

(Radditz' POV)

My heightened vision allowed me to catch a glimpse of the intruders' silhouettes. How unfortunate their symmetrical appearances were.

A tremor of irritation erupted in my body and spread through my veins like hot lava. As the feeling reached my hands, I balled them into tight fists, causing my long nails to dig into my palm. _What are they doing here?! How did they find this location?_ They weren't supposed to know about Gohan yet; he was our wildcard.

Absentmindedly I reached my arm back, grabbing my nephew by the shoulder and pulling him behind me, away from _their_ preying eyes. He didn't resist and I could feel his heart hammer against my leg like the fluttering wings of a caged hummingbird. I looked down at him for a second, seeing that he was staring out in front of him with large eyes. He was clearly frightened, but he needn't be.

The brat may not know it yet, but inside him rests a vast amount of energy, yet untouched.

His birth was something of legend.

*Flashback*

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" The bloodcurdling screams of the fair young woman, still in the prime of her life, ripped through the room in father's estate, which he especially crafted for this occasion: The birth of his first grandchild._

 _Her screams, while common among most females with the ability to birth their offspring naturally due to the excruciating pain and emotional stress during delivery, seemed unnerving and earth-shattering to the stunned trained doctors on duty._

 _It was odd to see one of the most passionate and hardened female warriors I have ever came to know, next to my Aunt Toba, writhing and screaming, as if she was undergoing the most heinous beating of her life. It was uncanny that the mother of this soon-to-be-born child, Chi-Chi, would be injured severely by this procedure._

 _It didn't help that she was human. A member of a weakling race, giving birth to a Saiyan. It was unheard of. I wouldn't be surprised if she was killed in the process. I shook my head, disgusted by the weakness. Why did Goku have to fall in love with a human?! There are lots of Saiyan females that would give an arm, just to have the option to procreate with him. Such an idiot._

" _Doctor!" The brunette nurse clothed in green scrubs called hastily. "The sedatives aren't working!"_

 _A frown formed on the elderly doctor's forehead as he scanned some charts at the end of her bed. "We cannot use any more sedatives at this point; it might damage the foetus." He got a troubled look on his wrinkled face. "We are going to have to hold her down ourselves."_

 _Everyone in the room collectively gulped._

 _The blonde burly nurse breathed loudly as she held one of Chi-Chi's arms with both of hers; across from her, the other nurse was doing the same, while two others held her legs respectively. Chi-Chi uttered another boisterous bawl, producing with it another stream of strong spasms which the nurses had trouble to keep under control._

" _I can see its head!" The two nurses at the end of the bed shouted simultaneously._

" _I have never seen such a violent response between a child and its mother." The doctor swiped the sweat developing on his brow with the sleeve of his white coat. He kept his hands poised, ready to catch the infant when it finally falls out._

 _I cocked my head to the side as Chi-Chi uttered her final scream of pain before she fell silent. I really didn't need to see a person coming out of another person. What a sickening thought._

" _I have him!" The doctor called victoriously, and I turned my face back to the scene. I mentally blocked all the blood out and tried to get a look at the kid, but the medical staff were too busy with him for me to get a clear picture._

" _Is.. it.. fine?" Chi-Chi gasped out of breath, still sitting upright in her bed. My gaze fell automatically on her as she spoke. I didn't realise how much of a struggle she had undergone until now as I noted her appearance. Her normally fair complexion had paled significantly through the process, and only now did the light return to her bright brown eyes. Her smooth hair had become matted and frayed upon the pillows she had been writhing upon, now soaked with a fine sheen of sweat, still beading off her whole body._

 _The doctor nodded. "It's a boy."_

 _She fell back down into her array of cushions, the tears in her eyes sliding down her cheeks as a smile of relief finally washed over her fearless features._

" _L-let me see my son." Chi-Chi spoke aloud._

 _"Maybe it would be best if we take him for observation, just to be safe."_

 _Chi-Chi got a murderous gaze in her eyes. "I thought you said he was fine." She nearly shouted._

 _The doctor was clearly intimidated by her stare. "H-he is."_

 _"Then GIVE him to me!" The barriers of her anger were broken, and it felt as if the room shook due to her eruptive screech. I covered my ears with my palms. Damn, Goku sure knew how to choose them... But I couldn't help but smile at the thought. Even though I didn't approve of his choice, if he had to choose a human mate, I'm glad he picked her. She is probably the only human that could keep up with the Saiyan race._

 _She sat upright as she stared expectantly at the doctors handing her, her baby. She extended her frail arms toward them._

 _The doctor smiled. "Here you go." He handed the baby over to his mother. His eyes were closed and a look of innocence crept onto his new-born features, keeping himself in a safe foetal position. He didn't even cry or shiver from the foreign elements._

 _"He is a flourishing boy, and despite his struggle, he doesn't seem to have any malformations or any other health problems." The doctor continued, nodding approvingly. "He is the picture of perfect health for any child."_

" _Thank you Doctor." Chi-Chi replied sweetly, not tearing her eyes away from her bundle of joy. "He is mine after all." She held the child close, embracing him in a loving and tender display._

" _Grandson of the Master of the Saiyan Rebellion…" Father spoke up for the first time. "He is destined to exceed every warrior of the new generation." He smiled wickedly. "Who knows; he may become ruler after my reign."_

 _I shot my father an incrudious look; that was the title he promised me! I stared at the child with a newfound hatred in my heart – he hasn't even been alive a full ten minutes, and he has already won more of my father's heart, than I could ever wish to._

 _The doctor chuckled. "That's hopeful thinking."_

 _"I agree." I spoke up. "He has human blood in him after all; maybe his power won't amount to anything."_

 _I noted the sudden retracting of the sliding doors of the room out the corner of my eye. "I have faith in my son to be the strongest of us all." Goku walked into the room; he wore a custom-woven uniform, with a black strap holding a crimson shoulder pad on his left arm. He had a much cleaner cut hairstyle than most of our kind, our hair grew quickly and savagely, and we had barely the time or energy to dispose of it, but his was shorter, exactly like father's, much more militaristic._

 _Father smiled. "Your arrogant statement isn't unjust..." He sounded pleased. "As grandson of the Lord of the Rebellion himself, he is born with a lot of potential." I rolled my eyes. Of course he is..._

 _Instead of holding a teddy bear, like a normal father would as a gift to his child, Goku brought along a set of scouters, a technological advance we oh so secretly stole from Frieza's Laboratories._

 _The medical staff began setting up the cart for the new-born to be travelled in, in preparation of storing him in a more appropriate room. Before the nurse reached for the child, Goku put his arm in front of the baby, shielding him._

" _My son has seemed to survive the procedure?" He spoke to the doctor pointedly._

 _The doctor seemed intimidated; his eyes were big and his pupils dilated. "Y-yes sir!" He managed out. "It was tough, more so than normal birthing standards, but he is the picture of perfect health." The doctor nodded, smiling proudly up to the much taller and muscular warrior before him._

" _Good." Goku walked past the doctor, as Chi-Chi cradled their child, moving to her side with a compassionate smile on his face. Bending down he placed his hand to stroke his wife's sweat-matted hair. "You look tired." He noted. "Did our son give you a hard time?"_

 _Chi-Chi grinned tiredly. "More than you think." She stroked the sleeping form of their child, rocking it slowly in her arms. "This little warrior gave me a scare." She admitted. "I thought I was conceiving a bear instead of a baby, when he put up such a struggle." She frowned. "It's strange that he is so still now."_

" _He probably didn't want to leave a place he cherished; I'm sure he will get used to his new world soon enough."_

 _Chi-Chi nodded. "He must have been scared." She looked up at her husband._

" _Through fear one gets stronger." He stated as he fastened the blue-screened scouter on his ear, securing it over his face. "This is the last time he will show that weakness in his lifetime."_

 _Chi-Chi's blink-count increased as she stared furiously at her other half. "How can you say that?" She asked in a controlled voice. "Of course he will experience many fears as a child; it's normal! You certainly have been scared many times in your life!"_

 _He shot her a look. "Exactly; he will be brought up as a better version of me." Chi-Chi made a sound but he ignored it. Instead he pressed the button on the side of the scouter, activating it._

" _Let's see what we got here." He muttered under his breath, and everyone, even I, silenced, curious to see the outcome of his strength. I was born with a power level of 58, exceptionally high for a day old infant, and a well excepted display of power for someone of an elite status._

 _The device made electrical sounds as it turned on, and images flashed on the little screen. It made a beeping sound after a while of focussing on the baby._

" _49." Goku muttered, sounding disappointed. I couldn't help but smile smugly; my record hadn't been broken. I had to restrain myself from breaking out in dance in front of all my relatives. But my happiness was short-lived as the scouter started to beep again._

" _Wait." Goku said, confused. "It's rising."_

 _The beeping didn't subside and I could see the numbers increase at an alarming rate. Everyone gasped when the number exceeded triple digits. It stopped at 548 for five seconds before it rose again. A numb feeling spread through my entire body. The child was sleeping, but it was clear his energy was raging inside that calm posterior._

 _The numbers kept increasing on the screen._

 _1000._

 _2000._

 _3000._

 _4000._

 _5000._

 _6000._

 _7000._

" _8000." Goku finally muttered in disbelief. Everyone stayed frozen for a few more moments, to make sure he was done. He was. My eyes were wide inside my skull. It was unheard of for a child to be this powerful. I reached this level of strength first at the age of ten._

" _Are we sure the scouter isn't defective?" I was first to speak. Everyone's eyes turned to me and I saw a few nod, muttering unheard thoughts under their breath._

 _Goku turned the scouter to one of the nurses and pressed the button. It beeped almost instantly and Goku took the device off slowly. "25." He stated surely. "It sounds about right."_

 _This can't be… Everything around me silenced as I retracted deep into my thoughts. I was supposed to be the successor; my birth gave me the right to carry on our family's name. I was supposed to be the Leader of the Saiyan race, like my father was, and his father before that. I wasn't born to be second in command._

" _Have you decided on a name yet?" Father pried, pleased and proud, breaking me free from my internal abuse._

 _Goku nodded. "One that, in its meaning, declares strength, courage and intelligence." He paused. "Gohan…"_

*Flashback ends*

He was born as one of the strongest infants our kind has ever seen. If he could be moulded into something with substance, he would claim the title of the Warrior who takes down Frieza's dynasty; the Destroyer... He could be the successor of our schemes.

He would have been much farther along by now, if his mother hadn't insisted that his training be postponed to the point where his strength is appropriate for his age. Father didn't take that too well; for a child of his stature to be domesticated and educated before turning to battle, but Chi-Chi wouldn't budge. And as mother she had more right to her son's life than her male counterparts could ever dream to have. But that didn't change his unescapable lot. Someday he will be ruler of our dynasty; and his journey starts today.

If Frieza and his henchmen could just stay out of our way!

The tall muscular man I knew all too well, shoved through his little crowd to the front. He walked closer to me, slowly, wearing a disgusted expression on his emerald-coloured face. He had wavy dark green hair that fell to his right shoulder in a thick braid, and wide brown eyes that spoke tales about destruction. He was wearing the peculiar indestructible armour all Frieza's men wore, with chocolate brown boots and belt; but then again, they were all wearing that. I smirked at him and he cringed.

"I don't think you realize this Radditz, but monkeys are rather intelligent creatures." He cocked his head to the side. "But intelligence should not be confused with stupidity." The humour in his voice and face vanished.

"You are actually showering me with compliments today, Zarbon." My booming voice proclaimed. A half-smile coloured my lips as I met his gaze for the first time. "Your face has healed up nicely since our last encounter." I teased, ignoring his previous comment completely. "Just a shame for that nasty scar on your cheek."

He didn't seem very amused by my statement, and returned with an angry stare. "This is a beacon for my vision; destroying _you._ "

I chuckled. "Your choice in vocabulary is very strong for this early in the morning."

His expression hardened and he scowled. "I am stronger than all of you monkeys combined; remember that, just a friendly warning, I don't like playing with kids."

I smiled viciously. "I must say, I'm rather surprised that you mongrels caught up to me."

Dodoria, Lord Frieza's head of strategies, walked up to me as soon as I was done speaking. He was as hideous as I remembered him being. His head was particularly bold and shiny today, showing off his black eyes and high cheekbones. He too was dressed in Frieza's armour, as his comrade, his just hugged his obese figure more tightly than it was supposed to, creating a sight that was rather unpleasant. He was grimacing, an expression that fitted on his hideous face like a glove. I felt Gohan's body tighten behind me when his footsteps became louder as he neared us. He hid his face in my pants, burying himself in its soft fabric.

"We cannot take all the credit, _it's hard not to notice your stench; it's as if you created a pathway for us to follow you_." Dodoria said with a smile, crossing his arms over his fat chest. "Feeling a little brave today, aren't you Radditz?"

I growled and the pink blob's smile grew bigger. "I was going to ask you the same thing, Lady bug!" I sneered. "What do you want anyway, seeking me out like this?! My next purge is scheduled for next week; I am not on duty now."

"We just have a strong urge to bring justice to the world." Dodoria said in a strong voice. "It has come to our attention, that there are speaks of a rebellion against Lord Frieza, and we were wondering if you knew anything about this?" His voice trailed off. I clenched on my teeth, refraining myself from showing any emotion. _How did they find out about this?_

I pouted. "What an honourable mission; too bad I don't know what you are talking about."

"We'll see about that." Zarbon's voice boomed. He shot forward at lightning speed, causing the ground to shake with his powerful strides. I froze as I realised that Gohan was still behind me. I can't make a move without exposing the kid. I crouched down and raised my fists in front of my body. I was going to have to fight him right here.

When Zarbon was a mere few meters away, Gohan whimpered. It was not a particular loud sound, but it seemed to reach everyone's ears. The head of Frieza's Guard of henchmen stopped in his tracks and stared down at me with a quizzical expression on his face. His eyes widened as he noticed the child behind me for the first time.

Crap.

"See what you did now, squirt?!" I sneered softly at the boy behind me. I wasn't particularly mad at him; I just wanted to let go of some inner unpleasant emotions, too bad he had to be nearest to me.

His grip tightened around my leg and I could feel how the blood flow to my limb was slowly starting to get cut-off. "I wish I could be more like Icarus!" He wailed.

I frowned. "Who the hell is Icarus?"

"My friend!" He snapped and looked me right in the eye, not blinking or looking away. He held my gaze angrily and I felt slightly intimidated. The feeling, however, was over quickly, and replaced with dismay as Zarbon started talking again.

"What are you doing with a child?!" Zarbon asked, with a hint of humour in his voice, to my surprise. "What poor girl agreed to procreate with _you_?" He laughed and his flock of henchmen joined in.

Instead of being embarrassed, I was relieved. They didn't suspect anything. Their scouters didn't detect Gohan's fluctuating power. They thought the brat was mine.

I forced a chuckle. "Unfortunately, I haven't found a suitable mate yet. This is my brother's brat."

Zarbon's eyes met with mine for a second, before he crouched down to get a better look at the boy. I did the same, still not daring my eyes off of him.

"He is indeed too pretty to be yours." Zarbon noted absentmindedly. "But I'm surprised that you have kept him hidden from us for so long." His gaze was piercing. "All Saiyan infants have to be registered with Frieza's authorities, you know that. Perhaps you thought he could be freed from Frieza's service if we didn't know about him?" He accused.

I cleared my throat. "If only that were the case." I covered. Zarbon raised a questioning eyebrow, so I continued. "We would be proud if he could join Frieza's forces... But there is a problem with him..."

Zarbon frowned. "Which is?"

"He is not a Saiyan." I stated. "He is a half-breed. True, one half of him is Saiyan, but the other half..." I paused. "Well, let's just say, it's disgraceful."

Zarbon rolled his eyes. "You Saiyans and your pride. It cannot be that bad."

I scoffed. "Goku chose an Earthling female as a mate. The other half of his blood runs with the DNA of the human species." I shook my head slowly. "They have shamed our family."

Zarbon chuckled. "Has Goku gone mad?" He laughed. "Humans are infamous for being the weakling race of the galaxy!" He exclaimed, and shot Gohan a look of pity. "This poor child won't amount to much."

I looked down at the kid. "That's why we kept him from you." I lied. "We are embarrassed of him."

Zarbon stood up. "I understand your reasoning, but that doesn't change anything. When he is of age, he must join the service." His lips curved into a grin. "Even if the little shit doesn't last a day."

I chuckled. "Tsk. Tsk. Careful there Zarbon, innocent ears over here."

He laughed musically. "You probably robbed him of his innocence a long time ago!"

"You'd think, but no." I uttered lamely.

Zarbon continued staring at the boy. Just stared. Nothing else, yet I could feel the boy's pulse beating on my leg. I blocked out all other sounds except the breath that was raggedly moving in and out of his mouth at regular, gasping intervals. I found that I too was staring. I could not take my eyes away from the other eyes across the room. Nothing else mattered. The connection had to be held, if it broke... if it broke he will pounce and Gohan would die.

I had never felt so certain of anything else in my life. I could no longer control my hands as worry filled my being; worry for the sake of the kid and worry for the sake of my reputation. They were shaking in an odd trembling rhythm as the colour drained from my face. Yet still I stared, willing myself not to run, willing the connection to hold.

I flinched when he abruptly spoke again. "Come on kid, show me what you got." He instructed, raising his fists in the process.

My eyes widened. "You cannot be serious, Zarbon." I exclaimed, my voice lined with bafflement. "He's just six years old. You'd crush him."

Zarbon chuckled. "I won't kill him." He said mid-laughter. "I just want to see what the little hybrid is capable off."

"Tough." I said loudly, not knowing where my sudden bravery came from. "You are not laying a finger on this child." With that he jumped forward with a cry and I had no choice but to shoot forward too, leaving Gohan behind.

(Gohan's POV)

I yelped when my uncle broke away from me, leaving me alone. I shivered as I saw him run towards the other very big man with the green hair. When they reached each other in the middle, they disappeared. I couldn't even see them move. I tried looking up in to the sky, but there was nothing, I could only hear them hit each other.

I looked around me, moving my head from side to side, as I looked for a place to hide. A whimper left my throat when I realized that I had nowhere to hide. There was nothing I could crawl under; there was nothing I could stand behind. There was literally nothing around me.

Not knowing what else to do, I fell to the ground, and curled myself into a ball.

I closed my eyes, and I could almost pretend that I was safe, pretend that I was behind the couch at home, and that nothing dangerous was happening around me. But then I heard the explosions, and the ground shook. I got scared again.

"Icarus, where are you?" I cried into the ground. "I need you."

"Aw, the little baby is talking to itself." I heard a deep voice say. I felt something grabbing me by the collar of my shirt and soon I was held up in the air, like a defenseless baby bird.

"Hey! Let me go!" I screamed at the giant pink man, who was holding me up. He was funny-looking and smelled funny too.

The man laughed and tilted his head to the side. "I see you are dressed for a funeral. Yours." He laughed again, and some of his spit fell onto my face. "Dance little monkey, dance!" He sang while he dangled me around, acting as if I were some puppet-toy.

I yanked and struggled, trying to get free of his grip. He was a stranger after all. Mommy would have a fit if she knew I was this close to a stranger. And then he grabbed hold onto my tail; and it felt as if I had lost all of my energy. It felt as if I was about to go to sleep, but he kept me awake by shaking me around.

"Not much of a tough guy now, are we?" He taunted in my ear, and his breath smelled so bad that my eyes starting tearing up. Then I felt the sensation of flying through the air, but just as I started to enjoy the feeling, I crashed on the cold, hard gravel, face first.

"Ow." I whimpered, and tried sitting upright. My face hurt really badly, and I knew I was bleeding, because I could feel the warm red gooey liquid flowing down my cheeks.

And then Uncle Radditz was in front of me, and his face was full of blood. He pushed the big pink man away and stood between us. "I told you to leave the kid alone."

"Come on Radditz, we were just playing." The pink man's eyes fell on me. "Weren't we kid?"

"He is bleeding you pig." My uncle cursed. "You have the right to lay a hand on him when he is enrolled in Lord Frieza's service; not beforehand."

"The right?" The man with the green hair walked over to us. His lip was swollen and red and it looked as if a cat attacked his face. "Do you think we are a democracy, Saiyan?" He flipped his ponytail over his shoulder. "Dodoria, take the child. It's time we remind Radditz just how worthless he really is."

I yelped when I was lifted into the air again. I kicked and screamed: "Let me go!" but he didn't listen. I stopped making a fuss when I saw the green man kicking my uncle so hard that his head bounced on the ground like a ball. The green man put his foot on Uncle Radditz' head, and my uncle started screaming very loudly. He tried getting up, but it was useless.

"It would be in your best interest if you didn't deny us, _Saiyan."_ The green man said in a deep voice. "If we want to fight with the child, we'll do it, and there is not a thing you can do about it. Understand?" He stomped hard on his face, and my uncle cried out.

"Leave him alone!" I yelled and they laughed.

Blood was starting to flow down my uncle's forehead, and it looked as if he were in a great deal of pain.

He was being beaten up to a pulp, lying on the ground, while that vile man stood over him, crushing his ribs. I hear my uncle's agonizing scream. He is clearly in so much pain, but I couldn't do anything. The feeling of powerlessness is so overwhelming; too much for me to withstand. I was completely useless, on the sidelines, while my uncle was getting hurt.

I was starting to get really angry. My body felt as if it were on fire, and I shook, feeling the warm feeling spread through my whole body; my arms, my legs, my torso. I started pushing harder, causing the warmth to spread to my skin and bones too.

I look into my uncle's eyes; I see how those big eyes fill with tears. I see him, cry and beg for his life. My power swelled with each cry my uncle uttered.

"Kid, what are you doing?" The pink man asked, sounding a little afraid. He turned his scouter on, and it started beeping quickly. But I wasn't paying much attention to him; all I saw was my uncle, in pain, after he tried to save me from them.

"Uh, Zarbon?"

"Dodoria, I am in the middle of something..."

"You might want to turn on your scouter."

"Why would I..." The green man's eyes met with mine, and I could see that he was shocked. He turned his scouter on too, and it started beeping loudly. He stepped away from my uncle and starting walking backwards, while keeping his eyes on me.

"40 000?" The green man said with big eyes. "That is impossible for a child."

"Leave us, ALONE!" I feel rage filling every fragment of my body, and power, oh so much power, gathering in my fists. Then nothing... Sort of like a blackout...

(Radditz' POV)

I watched in awe as the kid started breathing heavily. Fright was still apparent on his features, but that expression soon started to disappear under a look of determination and strength.

He clenched his tiny fists, and fixed his gaze onto Zarbon, threatening to crush him.

His mouth was wide open, and showed his sharp teeth. His tail started wagging behind him. That is when he lunged, to my surprise, in the direction of the Zarbon, with his fist extended toward him.

An aura of bright white, shining brighter than any of the suns I have ever come across, surrounded his child-like frame, and I could feel his power swelling and swelling, not indicating that it was going to stop soon.

And then he collided with the Zarbon. Everything happened like an explosion. I had to shield my eyes from the brightness. When I opened my eyes again, Gohan was standing over Zarbon, his arms and legs stretched out wide from his body. Zarbon wasn't moving.

A feeling of terror rushed through me. He couldn't be dead, could he? Lord Frieza will exterminate our entire family if that were the case. We would have to flee, go into hiding and hope that he would never find us... But he will.

I rushed over to him, Dodoria right behind me, and sighed with relief when I saw that he was still breathing.

I pulled the kid toward me, and held him in front of my body. He's a real Saiyan, alright.

"What happened?" The kid asked groggily as he looked up at me. He placed a hand on his forehead, and looked around, rather dazed, and tiredly rubbed his eyes. It looked like he was going to fall asleep any second.

I frowned. "You don't remember?"

"You showed me just how much of a Saiyan you really are." Zarbon said, and spat out a glob of blood as Dodoria helped him to his feet. Dodoria placed a hand against the back of his comrade's body when he started swaying a bit.

"The boy is truly extraordinary, Radditz." Zarbon cooed. "Lord Frieza would be quite pleased to meet such a creature as him. He would do well in the forces."

"I'm sure he will." I breathed. "I shall bring him over when he is of age."

Zarbon chuckled. "No, no, no, dear Saiyan. He is coming with us _now_."

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 _Soooooo, what do you think? :D_

 _Please remember to review!_

 _Until next time!_


	3. Chapter 3: The Armageddon Academy

_Heloooo again!_

 _Thanks for all of you guys who followed and favorited this story, and an even bigger thanks to the reviewers: Pizzadude5665, Guest, Mystic Titan Slayer, and the Loyal Corrector. It is much appreciated!_

 _I hope you guys like the new chapter!_

 _*Happy reading!_

 **CHAPTER 3: The Armageddon Academy**

(Goku's POV)

"He has to do WHAT?!" My voice echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls.

"WHERE IS MY SON?!" Chi-Chi yelled as she crashed into Radditz. He fell to the floor, with her on top of him. "WE TRUSTED YOU WITH HIM, AND YOU GOT HIM KIDNAPPED!" She pounded on his chest, and got a few good hits onto his face. Despite the chaos, I smiled, realizing for the first time in a long while why I fell in love with her in the first place.

I pulled her off of my brother, but she kept clawing at him. "Chi, we can beat him up later." I said in the calmest voice I could muster. "Let's first give him a chance to explain what happened. Then we can make a plan to get Gohan back."

She was still breathing heavily, and her forehead was matted with sweat from the exertion, but I felt her tense body relax under my grip and I let her go. She shot me a deadly look, a look that made my spine tingle. "You WILL get our son back." She said in a menacing tone, before sitting down on the nearby couch.

I took a deep breath, because I knew if I headed into this argument with a hot head, Radditz would not survive. "So, _brother_." I sneered as if I were uttering a curse. "What exactly did Zarbon say?"

He noticeably gulped. "Like I said..." My brother started, repeating his earlier statement. "Zarbon and Dodoria tracked me down. They admired the brat's powers, and said that Lord Frieza would appreciate seeing it." He explained and I clenched my fists. "They also had questions about a Saiyan rebellion..."

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you tell them anything?" I interjected quickly.

"Of course I didn't!" Radditz yelled. "But they started attacking me, and I had no other choice than to leave the boy alone and fight back. I came back for him when Dodoria started pestering him. That is when it happened." He turned his gaze to me, a look of awe on his face. "Goku, your boy is special. He may not look it, but he sure as hell is. After a few seconds of powering up, he reached a 40 000 power level."

My eyes widened. "That much?" I didn't reach that level of power until my early teens.

He nodded.

"If that power is harnessed correctly, he'll be strong enough to take out Frieza's dynasty all by himself." I said, more to myself than to the others. But, if Frieza gets to him first... My eyes widened at the sudden thought. "We have to stop Frieza from finding out." I turned to look at my wife. "He'll kill him; or worse yet, turn him against us..."

"So they are taking my son to Lord Frieza, as we speak?" Chi-Chi clenched hard on her teeth, composing herself from screaming.

Radditz nodded. "But they are travelling with their space pods, so we can reach Lord Frieza's headquarters before they do, if we use instant transportation."

"It seems that is our only option." I snapped. "We'll have to leave now."

Radditz nodded. "I'll come with you."

"Of course you are. You are the reason we are in this predicament after all."

He sighed. "Fair enough. Is father coming too?"

I shook my head. "He's on a purge." I quickly turned to look at my wife, uttering a quick goodbye before I turned to my brother again. "Let's go."

"Oh and Radditz?"

"Yes?"

And then I punched him in the face as hard as I could. "That's for losing my son."

(Gohan's POV)

"So, what exactly do I have to do?" I asked the green man, who I learned was called Zarbon. He was walking next to me. The long gray hallway was filled with lots of people, of every species imaginable. They all seemed to be busy, no one was standing still. They all were either walking, talking, or hurrying to get something done.

"Lord Frieza wants to see every new warrior, so you'll have to show yourself too." He answered. "It's normal protocol."

"But..." I started. He shot me a look, encouraging me to finish my sentence. "I am just a kid. Don't you have to be an adult to be a warrior?"

He made a sound that sounded like a laugh. "Usually that is the case, but we detected a 40 000 power level in you. Most warriors never reach that level of power in their lives, but yet, you are six years old, and already stronger than half the warriors in Frieza's force."

I looked down at my fists, and started clenching and unclenching them _. I was strong?_ That didn't sound right. My whole life I believed that I was weak; my father made me feel weak. But learning that I was actually strong after all these years, made me feel... Happy, and confident that I could do anything!

When I looked up again, I noticed that the people were shooting me strange looks. They look irritated, like Dad did when Mommy complained about something he didn't do right, like he was supposed to. I looked around me, studying the crowd. I was clearly the youngest person at this place. Most people here were men, with long beards or balding heads. I haven't seen another kid here since we landed, and that made me feel uneasy.

"So… This Frieza is an important man?" I asked innocently. A big man gave me a disgusting glare and I looked away, feeling frightened.

"He is the most important man you'll ever meet."

Sheesh... "So, do I have to act in a certain way?" I asked another question. "My Mommy always makes me do stuff I don't normally do when people come to visit us."

Zarbon chuckled. "Always bow, get up when he says you can. Basically just do everything he tells you to do."

"And if he tells me to jump into an ocean filled with sharks?" I challenged.

He smiled. "Then you do it."

Gosh.

Zarbon ruffled my hair. "Don't be so worried, kid." He encouraged. "Normally he just looks at the warrior's body, height, age, and asks a few questions. He always follows the normal routine."

"He won't hurt me?"

"Not unless you give him reason to."

I gulped. This Frieza guy sounded really scary.

We stopped walking when we reached a large gray door with two guards standing next to it. They held huge guns in their grasps, and their faces were covered with a white helmet. I stared at them for a few seconds, and I felt very nervous all of a sudden.

"Long time no see, Zarbon." A familiar voice rang through the sky. I looked up to see my father and uncle standing together just beside the large gray door. I was happy to see a few familiar faces in this unfamiliar place.

"Goku!" Zarbon called as a greeting. "I am pleased to see you."

"I wish I could say the same." My father retorted. "You have my son." He suddenly looked at me, and I flinched. He looked so intimidating in that moment. His arms were folded over his chest, and an air of confidence and anger surrounded him. As he looked at me, I thought he was going to scream at me, for coming here with Zarbon. But, to my surprise, he seemed relieved after he was finished looking at me. His face got angry again as he turned to face Zarbon.

Zarbon looked down to me, and then back to my father. "It does seem so, doesn't it?" He teased. "I must congratulate you for bringing such a delight into the world, however unlikely it must seem. Are you sure your mate didn't conceive this child with someone else?"

"If he goes in to meet with Lord Frieza, I am going in too." Dad said curtly; ignoring Zarbon's previous statements completely.

Zarbon smiled. "You are his father, so it is your right. But I'm afraid you'll have to leave your _attachment_ outside." He looked at Uncle Radditz with disgust. "I don't want Lord Frieza to feel crowded." Zarbon opened the door, and tilted his head to the side. He stood aside, making room for us to walk past him. "Go ahead."

"Fine." My dad put a hand on my shoulder, something he had never done before. "Good luck, kid."

We walked into the room. I looked around, and my mouth fell open. This was the biggest room I have ever been in. The ceiling was higher than a skyscraper! But it was dark and smelled like burnt plastic. I saw a big throne, where a small man was sitting, in the center of the room. Two men, who looked just like the guards outside, were standing at his side.

"Lord Frieza. I would like to bring a promising young warrior to your attention." Zarbon said, very formally and bowed. My father did the same, so I did it too, remembering what Zarbon had said earlier.

"Yes, so I heard." Lord Frieza sounded bored. "The little half-breed." I looked at Zarbon who smirked at me. "Come forward, boy." I got up and walked up to Lord Frieza. He didn't look bored anymore and was looking at me with interest.

"So..." His voice trailed off. "You are a half-breed?" Lord Frieza walked around me, looking me up and down. I felt uncomfortable but tried not to show it. I stood up as straight as I could. I wasn't supposed to look weak.

"Yes, sir." I said uncertainly.

"It's obvious you are Saiyan." He said with disgust. "You all look the same after all..." He paused. "But what is your other race?"

"Human." I replied, remembering that my parents had mentioned it to me a few time before.

His eyes widened. "Interesting indeed." He smiled slightly. "You're from a planet called Earth, well, half of you anyway, did you know that?"

I shook my head.

"Hmpf." He shot a look to my father. "Not much is known about the humans, except the fact that they are a weakling race." He pouted. "When he's older, we should do a few tests on him. It might be enlightening."

Zarbon nodded. "That could be arranged, sir."

Lord Frieza looked approvingly at the head of his force. He then took a few steps back and sat down on his throne. He looked bored again.

"Please explain your fascination with the kid, Zarbon, I truly don't understand what all the fuss is about."

Zarbon pointed to his cracked armor. "The kid did this." He said slowly and Lord Frieza's eyes widened.

"That armor is supposed to withstand the most forceful of attacks."

"Not for the kid. He came flying out of nowhere with a power level of 40 000."

"40 000?" Frieza repeated, almost in a scream. "Let me see your scouter." He waved his hand for Zarbon to come closer. Zarbon did as he asked and gave the scouter to him. He pressed a few buttons and his eyes widened again.

"Well, excuse the pun Saiyans, but I'll be a money's uncle." He looked at me again, a devious expression on his face. "Let's put it to the test." His eyes fell on Zarbon. "Would you mind?"

"Not at all, sir."

Zarbon instantly took off and appeared behind me. I flinched; he was closer that I thought he was. What is he doing? I wondered. He then raised his arms out towards me, and his palms started glowing with a yellow fire. He fired the blast, and it hit me, right in the stomach. My hands flew to my abdomen, trying to make the pain stop. But it didn't.

I barely had time to stand up, before he appeared in front of me. He started kicking and hitting me. I blocked a few attacks with my arms but I couldn't block most of them.

"Daddy?!" I called, looking for him to help me. But he just stood there, staring. I closed my eyes, feeling betrayed.

Lord Frieza started talking again. "He is clearly still a child, Zarbon, why have you wasted my time with this?" He sounded irritated and looked at me with distaste. "Throw it in the laboratories now; it won't amount to anything anyway."

"No!" I heard my father yell. "I will not allow that!" As soon as he was finished yelling he jumped forward, and pushed Zarbon off of me. They both fell, and started rolling on the ground, as if they were wrestling.

"Dumb move, Saiyan." I heard Zarbon say, before he took a small remote thing out of his pocket, and started pressing it against my father's neck. My father started screaming very loudly. He fell on his back, shaking.

"No, leave him alone!" I yelled.

Zarbon didn't listen. He kept on shocking my father, to the point where foam came out of his mouth. It wasn't a nice sight to see. Why do they keep hurting him? I wondered. He was just trying to help me... He shouldn't be punished for it!

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I screamed again. I clenched my fists, getting angrier with every pained yelp that came out of my father's throat.

Like before, I was starting to get really angry. Enraged. My body felt as if it were on fire, and I shook, feeling the warm feeling spread through my whole body; my arms, my legs, my torso. I started pushing harder, causing the warmth to spread to my skin and bones too.

I feel rage filling every fragment of my body, and power, oh so much power, gathering in my fists. But this time, I didn't black out like before. My mind was clouded, as if I were looking through dirty glasses.

It seemed that my body had a mind of its own all of a sudden. I took into the air and landed a punch on Zarbon's chest, and he was launched into a wall. But just as quickly as he had crashed, he was up again, and lunged for me. This time, I was the one who was smashed into the wall. Zarbon then got a hold on one of my legs. I spun around and kicked him in the face with my other leg. He grunted and crashed into the floor.

I jumped down to him, and pierced his abdomen with my feet. I attacked him with a flurry of punches until he was unconscious and bleeding. I jumped off his limp body and landed on the ground next to my father. I clenched my blood-drenched fists, still feeling angry, but not stupid enough to take on Lord Frieza.

My father got up and looked at me with disbelief. "It- it is true.." He stuttered. "You could be, the legendary..."

He was interrupted by Lord Frieza. "45 000." He rose from his throne and walked over to me. "Unbelievable. Your power grew with 5000 in a matter of hours." He took my face in his hands and I tried to bite him. He laughed and turned to face the two guards next to his throne. "I'm not sure if we should kill him now, or utilize his strength." He stared into the distance, as if deep in thought. "I never thought I'd say this about a Saiyan, but he could become quite a threat one day.."

"As if someone could surpass your power Lord Frieza." One of the guardsmen said surely.

"True." He pouted. "Very well. I approve of the boy. But he'll have to receive a lot of training, to learn how to control his power. The good folks at Armageddon could help with that." He breathed loudly. "I'll send one of my men to take you to a pod."

"Thank you, Lord Frieza. You won't regret this decision." My father said while kneeling.

Frieza got back in his chair. "I hope not, for your sake. We'll just have to monitor his progress, to make sure he won't have the power to overthrow us. You can go now."

Dad grabbed me by my hand, muttering "come" under his breath as he pulled me with him out of the door. I offered Lord Frieza a little wave as I left the room. I could see him laughing slightly, but returning the wave. Then we were out of the door, and back in the horrible hallway, where my uncle was leaning against the wall, waiting for us.

He walked over to us as soon as he saw us exiting Lord Frieza's chambers. "What happened?" He asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Frieza wants us to send him to the Armageddon Training Academy." My dad answered for me.

My uncle's eyes got bigger. "Frieza hasn't sent a Saiyan to that Academy since Prince Vegeta..." He said as he looked me over. "He must see great potential in the boy."

"He does. Gohan beat Zarbon to a pulp in front of him." Dad said slowly. "But he will be killed if his powers grows too rapidly to control."

Radditz gasped. "He knocked Zarbon out?" His voice was filled with disbelief. "Was he transformed?"

Dad shook his head. "No, he was in his normal form, but still..."

"And there is no way we can convince Frieza to let us train him privately instead?" My uncle asked.

"Don't be an idiot; of course he won't, he's not stupid." Dad answered angrily. "We'll just need to make sure Gohan stays on our side. I will not allow Frieza to brainwash him with his lies!"

"But we can't-" Uncle Radditz started talking, but was interrupted when a big dark-skinned man walked over to us. He looked at my father with a blank expression.

"Goku?"

"Yes?"

"Lord Frieza sent me. Your space pod is ready for departure."

My dad sighed loudly. "Of course it is." He placed his hand on my back and led me forward with him. The man extended his hand toward us as we all started walking. "There is only space for one of you to accompany the boy."

"I'm going." My father replied. He turned to face our other family member. "I'll meet up with you at the mansion."

He nodded. "Goodbye, Gohan." Uncle Radditz greeted, and ruffled my hair as he walked by.

"Where is he going?" I asked.

"Home."

"Aren't we going too?"

"No."

We followed the man until we reached the bay for the space pods. "Here you go." He said and gestured to a specific pod. "The coordinates are already entered. Safe journey."

Dad climbed in first, and helped me to settle onto his lap. The pod was a little small for two people, but we managed to fit somehow. It didn't take that long for me to fall asleep though, and then I was having a nice dream, about food. But I was woken up by the shaking pod. Dad didn't seem to mind though. I hope I would never have to travel in one of these pods ever again.

After the landing, Dad opened the door and nudged me to climb out. Doing as he said, I peeked my head out of the pod, looking around to make sure it was safe to do so. I realized we were in a big landing bay, similar to the one on Frieza's planet, just much more sandy. Once we got out, Dad took the lead and I followed him.

I looked up when we reached a large wooden gate. At first glance, the gate seemed ordinary and dull, but on closer inspection I noticed the detailed carvings of distinguished warriors and fighters engraved on the surface. They reflected a rainbow of glorious colors off their surface, some colors I didn't even have a name for. The moment we walked through the gates, it was like we entered a new world.

When we were inside, the gates immediately closed behind us, and I started hearing a soft buzzing noise. It sounded like a bee, but also like an electricity current. I had no idea where it was coming from.

"There's a force field around this academy." Dad said when he noticed my confusion. "It's to keep the recruits from escaping."

I gulped. "This is the academy?"

"Yes, a training academy." Dad replied without looking at me.

I looked around me with amazement. Wow. An entire planet dedicated to training and fighting. I didn't know there could exist something as it in the world!

We reached a clearing and I slowly let my gaze move up the large building. The place looked like a castle, like the pictures in my fairytale books. I gaped at the beauty of my surroundings. The pathway leading up to the big door of the castle, was colored with the faces of pretty flowers. Grand statues, of people on horses and with swords in their hands lined the landscape. I could see a crystal fountain in the distance, and it poured water into small graceful streams into the sky.

We reached the main door, after what seemed like a lot of walking. The wooden doors held the same carvings of warriors as the gate.

"What are we going to do here?" I whispered curiously, as we walked up to the reception desk.

"Hallo there, mister, can I help you?" The man behind the reception desk interrupted. The man was rather tall. He was sitting, but he was still taller than my father who was standing.

"I'm here to drop off my son." Dad said as he reached back and motioned for me to come closer. I sent a hesitant glance his way, but that just earned me a scowl. I shuddered, and decided to do as he said, knowing that I would get punished if I didn't.

The large man frowned as he eyed me up and down. "He's too young. You know we don't accept students this young."

"Lord Frieza ordered for him to be here."

The man pouted. "I'm afraid he won't survive." He shot me a look filled with pity. "The instructors here follow rigorous training programs, and children his age won't be able to keep up."

"He'll survive." Dad answered with certainty. Without saying another word, Dad turned away from the man, and pulled me to the side. He crouched down to my level and looked me right in the eye. "Son, I know I haven't always been kind to you, but everything I did, was to make sure you got the best. You might not understand it now, but you will someday."

"Dad, what..."

He held a finger up, shushing me. "I have to leave you here, and I don't know when I'll be back." He sounded a little sad about it. "But you have to promise me that you'll be good; the best. And that when the time comes, that you'll remember to be loyal to your own kind, to your family and not to Frieza. You have to promise me." He said intensely and shook me a bit.

I blinked. "I promise."

"Good." He stood up and looked down at me. "Make me proud."

He turned and started for the door. I blinked but then ran after him, stopping in front of him and preventing him from leaving. I held my arms outstretched against the door, making sure that there was no way that he could get past me.

He sighed loudly. "Get away from the door."

"You can't leave me here!" I yelled at him. "You are my father, you cannot just abandon me."

I could have sworn that I saw a hint of sadness on my father's features, but as soon as it appeared, it vanished, and was replaced with a cold expression.

"I said, get away from the door." He repeated, in a voice that sounded like he meant business.

"No, I-" I started speaking, but the next thing I knew was I was sprawled out on the cold floor. He stepped over me and casually walked out of the door. My mouth was open; I was in shock that he just did that. My hand moved up to my cheek, where he had punched me. It was warm and throbbing, and pressing my hand against it, made it hurt less for some reason.

The door closed behind him and I got up, running to the doors to try to push them open. When they didn't open, I jumped up to grab the handle but I couldn't reach it.

"Come on, boy. We've got to get you signed in." The man my father spoke to earlier, called for me.

"I want to leave." I said as I turned around, still jumping to reach for the handle.

He sighed. "You can't leave." He said as-a-matter-of-factly. "This planet was specifically designed to keep the students inside." He motioned for me to follow him. "Follow me, please."

Not having any other options, I decided to follow the tall man. Several minutes later, we entered another man's office. _Principal_ was written on his door. The office wasn't all that big. There were several closets, and a desk was standing in the middle of the room. A man, with grey skin and green eyes, was sitting behind the desk. His black hair matched nicely with his skin color. He wore glasses and was busy reading some papers in front of him.

The tall man cleared his throat. "We have a new recruit, sir."

The principal seemed to notice me for the first time, and he frowned before gesturing his hand to a chair.

"Sit down, boy." He said in a clear voice, as he grabbed a new form and placed it on the clean area of his desk. He got out a pen and started writing somethings down. "What's your name?"

"Gohan Son." I replied as I sat down on the chair opposite his desk.

"From where are you?"

"Darkhaven."

"And your age?"

"Six."

He blinked and glanced over to the tall man. "Why did you admit him?" He asked in an accusatory voice. "He is too young to be enrolled here, you know that."

"I do, but his father said the boy is here under instructions from Lord Frieza."

"And you believed him?"

"I'd rather be safe than sorry. If Lord Frieza did indeed sent for him to be here, and we deny him..." His voice trailed off. "We'll lose our heads." With that said, the tall man left the room, closing the door behind him.

The Principal pouted, but turned back to the papers, filling it in while muttering things to himself. He looked up at me again with squinted eyes. "Your race is obviously Saiyan…"

"Half-Saiyan." I corrected, earning a surprised glance. "I'm half-human too."

"That's interesting. There's not much knowledge about humans." He said as he wrote it down. "Okay Gohan, we are going to have some problems with the scheduling of your classes, since you're so young, but we can…." He was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in." He called and took off his glasses.

The door opened to reveal another large man. This man looked a lot different from the other people I have seen here. For instance, his skin was a mossy green color, and he didn't wear the same clothes at the others. He was dressed in a purple gi, held together with a red belt and white cape. For some reason he was also wearing a turban. My gaze settled on the man's scary entirely black eyes and flinched when they met with mine.

"Sir, I was wondering when-" The green man stopped when he noticed me. His mouth turned up into a smile. "We have a new plaything." He said cheerfully as he closed the door behind him.

"We do, and you are going to like him." The Principal said with a hint of humor in his tone of voice. "He is a Saiyan." Then he looked at me. "Gohan, I would like you to meet Piccolo, he is one of the instructors at the academy."

Piccolo's eyes widened. "A Saiyan?" He repeated baffled. "We haven't had a Saiyan in over twenty years."

"Half-Saiyan." I corrected again, earning a small smirk from the principal.

"What's his other race?"

"Human."

His mouth fell a little open. "Really? That's interesting. There's not much known about humans." Piccolo studied me more closely than before. "He's just a baby though. What's he even doing here?"

"Lord Frieza." The principal responded, sighing. "His father left him here without any explanation. He probably doesn't want to keep an eye on the boy during the missions."

Piccolo shook his head with dismay. "So he lets us do the dirty work. Frieza wouldn't have ordered for a Saiyan to be trained here." Piccolo growled as he leaned on the desk with his large hand.

"We don't know that for sure." The principal retorted. "And it's better to be safe than sorry."

I clenched my fists, angry that they were talking about me like I was already one of their possessions. "I don't want to be here!" I yelled, earning their attention. "Please just let me go. I just want to go home."

"We're not going to let you go." The principal shook his head. "Your father brought you here so you're staying here. You are our responsibility now."

"There are a few vacant rooms in the dormitory; he could stay in one of them. We could just supply him with the basics to help him get by." Piccolo suggested and the principal nodded in response. Piccolo turned to the principal fully, placing both his hands on the desk. "I want to train him."

"I expected that. He's all yours." Principal cleaned up the papers and filed it away.

"No, I'm not!" I punched my fist against the desk to emphasize my anger. "You can't just decide all of that without asking me anything!"

The principal started for the door. "Follow me, Gohan." He said, ignoring my outburst completely.

I frowned at being ignored but I also got up from my chair. There was something about the man that made me want to do what he said; he had an alluring aura of authority surrounding him. I noted that Piccolo was following us as well. We entered a long hallway that had doors on both sides. There must be a lot of students here. I counted at least a hundred doors before we stopped at a door at the far end of the corridor.

The room was very small, a lot smaller than my room at home. A bed with white sheets was pressed against the wall, and there was barely enough space for the desk next to the bed. The opposite wall was occupied entirely by built-in closets. A round window looked out on the massive forest and I could see a large lake far away.

"This will be your room." The principal declared. "Stay here for now and someone will come for you later, to show you around." The principal walked to the doorway. I noticed that Piccolo was already gone. "Oh, and welcome to the academy Gohan, I hope you are going to do well here." He smiled softly at me.

I watched as the door closed behind the principal and I sat down on the bed. My hands trailed on the scratchy material of the duvet and I started to miss my mother. She would have never let this happen to me. I curled into a ball, and slowly rocked backward and forward, pretending that my mother was consoling me. I cried silently for what seemed to be hours, but at one point I sat up and wiped the tears away.

An image of my father's face paused in my head.

You want me to grown up? I will grow up. You want me to toughen up? I will toughen up. You want me to and train and become stronger? I will! I will train to become stronger than you. I will train to become the strongest fighter in the world! And when you come back to get me someday, you know what I will do?

I narrowed my eyes into slits.

"I'm going to kill you."


	4. Chapter 4: Survival of the Fittest

**CHAPTER 4: Survival of the Fittest**

(Gohan's POV)

I lingered under the blanket for a few minutes, gathering energy to rise up while making excuses as for why I haven't yet. A siren, I assume what was used to wake the recruits, had rung a few moments ago, but I still haven't budged since. Honestly, I wouldn't mind staying like this all day; this purgatory is particularly exhausting.

I groaned. The combination of fatigue, frustration and boredom make me very tired. And to make matters worse, I didn't sleep well. This bed was not nearly as soft as I was used to back home. I could have just as well slept on a rock.

I black out for a second only to wake up disoriented a moment later when some sort of insect buzzed next to my head. I feel a little light-headed and keep blinking compulsively.

I sat up straight on my bed, and stared blindly at the dull wall in front of me. I felt dead… Imagine using your mind as a shield against an oncoming freight train. Except instead of your mind being crushed and ripped apart instantly by the cold, unforgiving metal; it stays intact willfully, but the end result is still the same. _Broken, split, shattered_ , and _disintegrated_ thoughts float around inside your skull that had been tainted nearly beyond recognition.

Burns from heat that could have rivalled the sun itself are probably the least of your worries; because the energy shield you put up to block the blow from certainly destroying you has depleted your energy. Now, instead of being burned alive like before, you're freezing. And so, the mental pain is thorough and complete.

It's a bit like being in a car crash.

The adrenalin, and the force of the hits, is like flying through the air. You feel like you can't control your limbs, and sometimes even like you are looking down on your own body, but with each fresh strike, you come back to the body with the pain. The adrenalin can make you feel acutely conscious of your own body, each punch or kick, you feel like you can sense each individual cell and blood vessel bruising or bursting, each nerve ending blasting out electric shocks and chemical responses.

You can hear and feel your heart beating in your ears, and your vision becomes tunneled. You see the face or the masked face of your attacker as though you're viewing it through a telescope, and you also notice other sensations that you haven't experienced before. Maybe you see or smell the sidewalk close up, the sour smell of the pigeon droppings, the unevenness or the beauty of the stones in the asphalt...

I closed my eyes again, shutting out the outside world. I stay afloat somewhere in between asleep and awake, feeling completely drained. Not only my body, but _all of me_ is limp and paralyzed, except for my senses.

The stained white curtains flutter in the damp breeze in a heave, lazy motion, like waves. Light shifts through them slowly, half absorbing through the fabric. The breeze on my face feels like a slap in the face. Oh, how I yearned for some fresh air. Pushing the curtains aside, I squint my eyes at the unfiltered light pouring in from the window. I immediately yanked them shut again, sickened by the dull scene outside of it.

"So you are still here." A deep voice suddenly filled the room, giving me a fright. My head spun into the direction of the voice, and my muscles relaxed when I saw it was the instructor from yesterday; the one with the mossy green skin. He was leaning against the wall casually, with his arms folded across his chest. His name was Piccolo, if I remembered correctly.

"Good morning, Piccolo." I uttered warily.

His eyes narrowed into slits. "That is mister Piccolo to you." He let his arms fall to his sides, and walked a few paces toward me. He was now standing at the end of my bed. "I had a feeling you would stay in your room and sulk." He said with a disgusted sneer. "But I have news for you, kid. We don't work like this here." His gaze was piercing.

"Come, on. I expect you to be cleaned, dressed and in the cafeteria within fifteen minutes." He said in a voice filled with authority. "I'll come get you after you have eaten. We have a lot of work to do."

"I still don't want to be here, you know."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't care. If you are not down in fifteen minutes, I'll come get you personally, and believe me, you don't want that."

We held eye contact for a few moments, and I nodded.

"Good." He retorted, and left the room.

I let out an exasperated breath and jumped, with great effort, off the bed. I stretched, trying to loosen my sore and stiff muscles. I walked to my closet, and as I opened it, saw uniform after uniform, packed in the drawers. I grimaced as I pulled one out, sickened that this purple and navy gi was all that I was allowed to wear.

I pulled it over my body, and fastened the navy belt tightly around my waist. I jumped around in it, surprised that it was comfortable.

When I left my room, I closed the door behind me. I didn't bother locking it, I didn't have any valuables that could get stolen anyway. I felt overwhelmed when I entered the hallway. It was so big, and seemed to be stretching on and on for miles! I spotted one of the other recruits going left, and since I had no idea how to get to the cafeteria, I followed him, hoping that he would lead me straight to it. He did.

As I walked in, I was greeted by a magnitude of food-relating aromas. I closed my eyes and smiled as I inhaled all the loving scents – bacon, toast, eggs - my stomach grumbled, and I realized that I was really hungry.

And then I noticed the commotion...

The room was filled with recruits. I have never seen so many people gathered together at one place. The scurrying of recruits reminded me of busy bees in a hive. There must have been over six hundred people in the cafeteria! I frowned when I noticed that they all were older than me. I sighed, knowing that I was going to have a hard time fitting in.

I coughed, and suddenly all eyes were on me. Blood rushed to my cheeks and I stopped in my tracks, feeling their stares burning into my body. I gulped, feeling uneasy. Gathering courage, I urged my legs to move forward. I made my way to the short line for food, and grimaced when my plate was filled. Green eggs and burnt toast; not at all as yummy-looking as the smell advertised. I yearned for my mother's French toast and waffles. But I would probably never get food as good as hers in here.

Finding an empty table was a chore, and I contemplated going to eat in the bathroom, but convinced myself to stop being a baby. I walked over to a table where only four other kids sat at. It was the table that occupied the least amount of recruits, so it made me feel more comfortable. I took a seat at the very edge of it, as far from the other four as I could possibly get. I was not in the mood for small talk.

I had barely sat down, when someone started mocking me. "Who let the baby in?" A tall boy, who looked about fifteen years old, asked in a little voice. He brushed his long black hair out of his eyes as he scooted closer to me. I flinched, and took a bite of my toast, planning to ignore him. "Hey kid, do you want us to help you find your mommy?" He tried again, and his group laughed at his poor joke, all except one kid. He looked a few years younger than the tall boy, and his hair was a golden colour, the colour of Icarus' hair.

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary." I smiled warmly at them, ignoring his mocks. "I am actually a student here." I said while showing them my student tag. "This is my first day." I concluded, hoping that it would make him go easy on me.

The boy grabbed his stomach and laughed. He had a deep laugh, reminding me of a clown. I don't like clowns. His whole body shook at the motion of his snickers, making the bench vibrate.

"Did you hear that, fellas? The little baby is playing in the big boy league." His group, except the golden haired boy, laughed again. "Good one, Koda!" One of the group members exclaimed and gave him a high five.

I didn't look at them, and just continued to eat my disgusting food in silence. "What's wrong small fry, cat got your tongue?" Koda poked me. It was getting harder to ignore him.

"Please, I don't want any trouble." I said slowly.

He laughed. "You should have thought about that before you sat down at the cool kid table."

"I'm sorry, I would have never made that assumption with you sitting here." I retorted bravely.

And then he punched me so hard in the face that my nose started bleeding.

I blinked vigorously, trying to comprehend what just had happened. But Koda didn't give me much time to contemplate it. He was on top of me the next second and I could do nothing to defend myself.

My face was on fire, and each new punch he threw my way, burned even more. After a while, it didn't even hurt anymore though; it was as if my body had gotten used to the pain. I was vaguely aware of being lifted up by my collar.

"This is just a warning kid." He breathed into my ear. "Insult me ever again, and I'll make sure that you'll never walk again."

He threw me back down to the ground, and my head banged against the concrete with a loud thud.

"Understand?"

My lips were too swollen for me to speak in that moment, so I just nodded, but I don't think he saw it, because he awarded me with a kick in the gut. That made me really dizzy and black spots started to colour my vision. It felt as if the whole world was spinning. At that moment my being was overwhelmed with emotions like desperation, anger, helplessness, and then I lost myself in them.

(Piccolo's POV)

I was enjoying a coffee with the other faculty members, when I sensed an alarmingly high power level on the academy's premises. It was in the cafeteria. My eyes widened as my mind rushed with thoughts about the recruits. Their safety.

"Do you feel...?" Principal Saladin started asking, but I was out of the door before he could finish speaking.

How could this have happened? My mind was raging. The force field is supposed to keep any unwanted elements out! A breach is impossible!

I was surprised when I reached the cafeteria. The new kid, Gohan I recall, was sitting on top of Koda, the notorious bully of the school, and was punching him repeatedly. The vast amount of energy was emitting from Gohan! I was dumbstruck for a moment, but my protective instincts soon kicked in and I jumped down the balcony, landing right next to the two quarrelling kids. A few other students gasped at my sudden presence. I grabbed Gohan by his collar, and pulled him, with great effort, off Koda.

Koda was unconscious and blood spewed out of his nose and ears. He was in pretty bad shape. "You!" I pointed to a kid close by. "Take him to the infirmary." The boy nodded, and slung Koda over his shoulders, rushing him to the medical staff.

"What are you doing, kid?!" I yelled at the child in my grasp, but frowned when I saw he was unresponsive. "Don't think you can get out of this so easy." I dropped him, and was surprised when he fell down like a sack of potatoes, instead of landing safely. That's when I noticed the condition he was in for the first time. He was bleeding profusely too, almost as much as Koda was. His lower lip was busted open, and blackness already started to colour the skin around his eyes. His face was swollen to the extent that it looked like he was attacked by a swarm of bees. I felt sick to my stomach; I have never seen a child this young, beaten this badly before.

I shook him, gently. "Kid?" No response. I leaned in closer, and noticed that his breaths were shallow.

I turned to the gathered group, who seemed to be stunned. "What happened here?" I asked loudly, to no one in particular.

No one spoke.

"What happened here?!" I repeated with a yell. Everyone flinched.

"Koda was pestering the new kid. He started the fight. The new kid didn't even try to defend himself, but then he snapped. That's when he beat up Koda." A kid with gold hair answered; he wasn't in my class so I didn't know him.

I thought as much. "Okay. Get to class; first period starts in ten minutes." No one budged. "NOW!" I smirked as the recruits ran into the direction of the classrooms, in a hurry to obey my command. Funny how well they respond to a loud voice. As the group dispersed, I took Gohan in my arms, and rushed him to the infirmary.

An overwhelming smell of medicines and potions assaulted my senses. A grimace twisted onto my face. I hate infirmaries. I walked over to one of the nurses, and placed Gohan down gently onto her examination table. The nurse gave the kid one look before turning to me.

"This must be the other kid." She said in a sullen tone. "He is almost as badly injured as the other one."

I shrugged. "Boys will be boys."

She scowled. "I suppose." She got out some of her tools, and examined the boy. I waited patiently as she finished her thorough examination. I noticed Principal Saladin at the back, shooting me a troubled glance. I walked over to him.

"You should see to it that that Koda boy gets detention." I said in a disgusted tone. "I don't know why you allow that boy to be in this school. He is a terrorist."

He pouted. "Koda is not my main concern." His gaze fell on Gohan.

I frowned. "You cannot be serious." I uttered in disbelief. "Koda started the altercation. Gohan was just defending himself." I argued.

"True, Piccolo, but if he loses his temper so quickly and furiously, he could be a danger to the other students." He paused. "To us."

"Cut the boy some slack; from what I hear, his domestic conditions weren't ideal."

"That's a shame, but neither are most of the other boys', and they don't go around beating their classmates to a pulp." He said slowly and then sighed. "That's why we shouldn't allow Saiyans in the academy; they are too unpredictable."

"So what are you saying, that we should kick him out?"

"We might need to consider it as an option."

I shook my head. "I'll personally train the boy." I said. "I'll make him a decent warrior; teach him how to control his powers." Saladin shot me a look. "If he isn't presentable within a few months, I'll personally escort him out of the gates." I went on.

Saladin sighed. "You are putting me in a very precarious position Piccolo." He breathed. "But since you volunteer..." His voice trailed off. "I'll give you three months to tame the boy. Not more than that."

I nodded, pleased. "That is all I need." I walked over to the still sleeping boy, and turned to Saladin. "I'm going to take him to the woods; if you want to run simulations there, just let me know, and I'll move him."

He shot me a slight smile. "Will do."

"So?" I directed to the nurse.

"No broken bones." She breathed. "That's good."

"Anything else?" I inquired.

She shook her head. "Not really. He'll be sore for a couple of days, but all his wounds are superficial. No harm done, so to speak."

I nodded and picked the boy up. "Thank you, that's all I needed to know." He is fit enough to start his training again.

"Uh, Piccolo, where are you taking him?" The nurse followed me down the hall, matching my paces. "He needs to get some rest."

"He will." I retorted curtly as I walked out the door. She didn't follow me outside. I jumped into the sky, with the boy still secure in my grasp. "Oh and Piccolo?" I stopped in my tracks as the head of the Academy's voice filled my ears. I looked back down at him, where he was standing with his hands in his pockets. "Good luck." I nodded, and with that said, I blasted off into the horizon, heading for the notorious mountain range at the far end of the woods. That would be a good training spot for the kid. If he ever loses it again, like he did in the cafeteria, he would have no one, except the trees, to lash out on.

I looked down at the young boy, still baffled that such a tiny body could have held such an enormous energy. It didn't seem possible. As I concentrated on his ki at that moment, I could barely detect any power. He seemed to have the strength of a normal little boy. If I hadn't seen his outburst with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. It was a mystery indeed, but one I was determined on finding out.

I looked down at the ground below me, searching for an ideal place to drop the boy. I decided on a secluded lake, and as I landed, I tossed the kid into the water, as if I were throwing back a fish into the sea.

He drifted down the water, and I started to get worried, but then he submerged to the surface, gasping and struggling for air. He settled down after a few moments and started to investigate his surroundings with his curious big eyes. He looked frightened, but then his eyes fell on me, and he seemed to calm down.

"M-mister Piccolo." He uttered, shivering. "Where are we?"

I stood firm in front of the now conscious Gohan, who stared up at me with fright, but also defense. We stared at each other for the longest time, not daring to say a word. He had a sort of hardened gaze in his eyes, one that didn't suit his innocent face.

The silence became eerie, and I decided to break it. "What you did almost got you expelled."

He frowned. "What did I do?" He looked around him again; his eyes darting to a bush that ruffled. "Is that why we are here?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Don't play dumb with me, kid. You almost killed one of your fellow recruits." His frown deepened. "I understand why you did it. But you can't just attempt to kill everyone who bugs you."

He crossed his hands defiantly across his chest, mimicking my stance. "I didn't try to kill anybody." He said surely. "It is my first day at your stupid Academy anyways, why would I pick a fight with anybody?! I am trying to fit in, you know."

My eyes narrowed. "Well congratulations kid, you already made an enemy." I muttered sarcastically, not understanding why he was in denial about the whole situation. "And you couldn't have made a worse one."

"That boy attacked _me,_ not the other way around."

"I saw you attack him, genius." I shot back. "Don't you dare lie to me!"

"I'm not lying!" He screeched, causing the birds in the nearby trees to scatter away. His sudden outburst made me flinch; I didn't like being taken by surprise. In that moment I also realized that his energy had spiked. I blinked, processing the situation. Maybe he wasn't lying. His powers must act as a defense mechanism; a sort of powerful instinct. So his negative emotions must be linked to his vast energy, and whenever he experiences them, his powers steps in, engulfing him completely.

This must be a result of his mixed genetic make-up. As soon as I'm back at the Academy, I'm going to research all there is to know about humans.

"Whatever; I don't care if you believe me. I just want to go home." He said softly, and his powers receded as he calmed down, kind of proving my hypothesis. Truly remarkable.

"Go home to what? Your father?" I scoffed. "It's clear he doesn't want you." I didn't want to beat him down emotionally, especially since he had just experienced a physical beating, but it was for the best. He would not truly commit to his training if he kept lingering on the thought of a happy household. He was stuck here, if he wanted to hear it or not. And if he doesn't make the best of his training, he would not survive.

"My mother wants me." He stared at the ground as he spoke.

I sighed. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"You need to forget her. I am the only one who can help you now." They boy sat still, only for a moment, but when he fully grasped what I was asking of him, his face twisted with anger. I braced myself; ready for when his emotions get the better of him.

"How could you ask me to forget my mother?!" He yelled. I felt his power spike again, higher than it did before. This was going to be a tough cookie to crack. "She is the only person in the world who loves me. Nobody else cares." His tone was thick with sadness.

"Where is she now?" I gestured with my arms around my body. "Face it kid, she didn't come looking for you." Tears started forming in his eyes. I felt sorry for the boy, I truly did.

"You're lying! My mother would never leave me." He shouted, but didn't sound too convincing. "She is not like my father."

"Tell me then something, kid. Where the hell is she now? Why didn't she stop your father from bringing you here?" I shouted back, stunning the boy into complete silence. His gaze fell to the ground.

"B-but…" The boy sniveled, continuing to stare at the ground with tears falling from his face.

"It would be best if you thought of your family as dead." He whimpered again. "I spoke to your father when he dropped you off." I lied. "He told me to take you, otherwise he would kill you." His face snapped up, and his tear-filled eyes met with mine. "He told me that I should be the one burdened with you rather than him, he was disappointed in you, kid!" I callously retorted. "He gave up on you, and he's the reason why you're here right now. If he wanted you, he wouldn't have dropped you off here like an unwanted dog. Instead, he chose to give you away, just so that he wouldn't have to face his weakling son!" The kid cried even harder at these words, shaking his head in disapproval. "Think about it, kid, did he ever once try to train you!?"

He reluctantly shook his head. "N-No, but..."

"But I don't see the weak child your father saw." I interrupted, reassuring him. I did not want to break his spirit down completely. "No, when I look at you, I see a strong little boy! You could even defeat your father someday if you trained hard enough!"

His eyes lit up at the thought.

"I am different, kid." I told the boy. "I see potential in you that no one else seems to see. Where your family and the people at the Academy gave up on you, I saw something special." My grin faded as I saw the boy get up and looking at me with solemn eyes. "I'm going to train you and you will be the greatest warrior in the world when I'm done with you."

The boy sat in silence for a few moments before rewarding me with the answer I wanted. "Okay, you can train me." The boy said in a small, melancholy voice, staring at his feet as he spoke.

I smiled, pleased. "Good, now if I ever hear you crying again, I will give you something worth crying about." This threat made the boy gulp, and I turned my back to him. "I'll be back here in two months. If you're still alive by then, we will start the real training." And with those words, I flew off, leaving behind the child to fend for himself for 60 days.

"Wait! Mister Piccolo! I'm scared!" He yelled up at me, but I ignored his words. " _Good luck, kid. I hope you survive."_ I whispered under my breath, only for me to hear.

(Gohan's POV)

"Mister Piccolo!" I called again, as loud as I possibly could. My voice echoed back to me, and a sinking feeling filled my stomach. He didn't even turn around to look at me. I watched his silhouette fly off into the distance, until he looked like a little black dot; a speck of dust on the canvas of the sky.

I was all alone now.

Feeling totally hopeless, I started crying again. I had just accepted my fate as a recruit at the academy, and now I was abandoned again! _I can't do this, I'm gonna die!_ I thought, crying even harder when the revelation struck. I stayed in the place Piccolo left me, not wanting to move, not wanting to think, and not wanting to anything, except cry.

To me, it felt as if life was over, after all, I was light-years away from my mother and my father had abandoned me. The academy didn't want me either. The only thing that I could rely on, was myself. And I am just a kid! I don't know how to survive in the woods by myself! More time passed, and I could see that the sun was starting to descend lower into the sky. It was going to be dark soon.

I regained my composure, and decided that the best thing to do now would be to find something to eat. Even if I was sad and wanted to die, I wasn't just going to give up so easily.

I wasn't going to give my father the satisfaction of being right.

After walking around aimlessly for a while, something caught my eye. Berries! I examined the bush, wondering whether these were poisoned or not. I knew how poisonous berries from Darkhaven looked, but I had no idea if the same principles applied to the berries from here. At that moment my stomach grumbled and I grimaced. All I had eaten the entire day, was a bite of toast. I looked at the berries again, and pouted. They looked more delicious in that moment than any food I have ever seen. Thinking _what the hell_ I picked one berry from the bush, and popped it into my mouth.

It was sweet on my tongue, and I really liked the taste. Deciding that something poisonous could never be this good, I plucked the rest of the berries off the bush. After I had enough, I made a makeshift pouch with my shirt, and carried the leftover berries with me.

I explored further, my next objective being to find shelter. I looked around, hoping to find a cave or something. I was walking casually when I heard something that made me jump.

The roar of a hungry beast shook the earth and made every living creature in the area disperse with fear, however all I could do was stand in fear of this large beast. It was a dinosaur. A tyrannosaurus, who ran out of the forest, crushing trees wherever he stepped, and quickly shifted its gaze towards me. The dinosaur licked his lips and roared into the air, seeming to smile at me. I gulped.

I stared in terror at the monster, but somehow was able to squeal out: "H-hey there Mr. d-dinosaur sir." I gulped as the dinosaur walked closer to me. "P-please don't eat m-me!" His eyes grew bigger, and then he stomped into my direction. I screamed, forcing my legs to move. I frantically started to run for my life. When everything was at stake, I was able to jolt at speeds far faster than I normally could have, but even with this increase in speed, the dinosaur was hot on my trail, attempting to bite me when he got close enough. Miraculously enough, I stumbled onto a cave, and having no other options, I ran into it. I really hope there isn't another blood-thirsty creature in here too.

I fell down on my butt as soon as I was safely inside, and crawled back as far back as I could; only stopping when my back was pressed tightly against the cave's cold wall.

The dinosaur still tried to get to me, but the cave was too small for it to enter. It tried to scratch the opening bigger, but those attempts were futile. I laughed after realizing that it wasn't able to get me. I began to stick my tongue out at the dinosaur, mocking it.

"You can't get me!" I mocked, jumping up and down, feeling silly. After a while of more futile attempts, the tyrannosaurus turned around with an annoyed and exasperated growl. He walked away, with his head held high, probably off to look for other food.

Even though the sun was still up, I decided that I had enough for the day, and started to prepare for sleep. I took off my gi, using it as a pillow, and wore only my undershirt and pants, lied down on the ground, and attempted to fall asleep. However I found this task to be one of the hardest things I had done all day, as my mind kept shifting to my father. Did he really leave me behind because I was weak? I clenched my teeth when I heard mister Piccolo's voice in my head: _'He chose to give you away, just so that he wouldn't have to face his weakling son._ ' It rang in my mind over and over until I started to cry.

"I hate you! I hate YOU! I HATE YOU!" I yelled as I clenched my teeth even harder in anger and fear. "Why did you leave me?" I yelled, shaking the cave, and also wearing me out immensely.

I quietly cried myself to sleep. During the entire night, I had not cried my father's name anymore. Little did I know, that I would never cry his name again...


End file.
